Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution

Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution

Meeting #50: Friday, March 5, 2004
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location: Conference Room, Environmental Assistance Division
Laundry Building, Waterbury State Complex, Waterbury, Vermont

MINUTES

Members Present:
Michael Bender, Abenaki Self-Help Association, Inc.
Bill Bress, Vermont Department of Health
Neil Kamman, Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division
Ruma Kohli, chemical Management Program Manager, IBM, Burlington
Rich Phillips, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance

Guests Present:
Gary Gulka, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Karen Busshart, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance

The Committee members and interested parties gathered in the Conference Room of the Environmental Assistance Division, Waterbury State Complex. Rich Phillips called the meeting to order.

Agenda Item 1-
Accept minutes of January meeting and possible changes to today's agenda.

January minutes were approved with no changes. Item added to agenda is an update on current legislative activity.

Agenda Item 2-
Develop committee work plan for 2004.

The following topic areas (as included in the 2004 Annual Report) were reviewed and times set which to address the potential issues. The Committee agreed to not meet in July and schedule all other activities during the remaining months from April to December 2004.

• Outreach to Sensitive Populations
  • The committee will be updated on the progress of this project and the contributions of the MS SPOC subcommittee at the April meeting and again in June, September and November.
  • The committee briefly discussed the potential distribution of posters to libraries, distribution of materials to school nurses, and distribution of materials to newlyweds with a potential survey of newlyweds and parents of newborns. The committee had the following comments:
    • Suggestion to do a mailing to libraries excluding school libraries and to do a mailing to school nurses instead.
    • Suggestion to do a mailing to school nurses with a letter suggesting the potential placement of an enclosed poster and providing a statement for possible insertion in a school newsletter. Message can be valuable in school newsletter because many parents will read a school newsletter. Suggestion to include specific information regarding tuna.
    • Suggestion to contact Sherry Lynn, VDH to potentially partner in a mailing to school nurses or scientific contact. Sherry works with CPH nurses and schools and plans meetings at schools in each district.
    • Committee encourages direct mailing to newlyweds and parents of newborns. Suggestion to re-examine the benefit of a survey to newlyweds.
    • Concern that obtaining and cataloging data for newlyweds may not provide the desired baseline information for awareness. Suggestion to consider obtaining this information through another survey method.
    • Suggestion to contact Rich McCoy, VDH and ask for input on potential newlywed survey. Inquire about BRFSS survey and what that entails.
• Environmental Monitoring Data
  • Suggestion to schedule the August ACMP meeting to provide updated information on monitoring data and mercury in the environment. Neil Kamman, Gary Gulka and others will provide overview of available information to the committee on these topics.
  • NESCAUM is having an air toxic state of science mercury meeting on May 27-28 in Kennebunkport, Maine that will potentially provide additional current data.
• Mercury in Wildlife
  • The committee decided to set aside this item and revisit it if there is interest from the House Committee on Fish and Wildlife.
  • Committee was informed that Eric Hanson spoke to the Fish and Wildlife committee regarding loons and their exposure to lead and mercury.
• Dental - Amalgam Separator Pilot
  • The pilot should be completed in April and the Committee will be updated on the progress at the April meeting.
  • A report and findings will be completed and in September the Committee will schedule time to review the report and make recommendations for next steps.
• Exposure: Voluntary Fillings Guide for Dental Offices
  • Suggestion to review existing brochures at the April meeting. These brochures were distributed at the end of last year to the Committee.
  • Suggestion to invite Peter Taylor of the Vermont State Dental Society to attend the May meeting to allow him to share his views on the brochures. The Committee would like to determine how the advisory committee could assist in promoting some voluntary distribution of literature that dentists could provide to their patients.
• Manometer Replacements
  • Update of progress scheduled for Committee's June meeting.
  • Following the legislative session, the Committee will know if Agriculture was able to get funding for the balance of this project in their budget. At that time, the Committee will analyze next steps.
• Lamp Recycling Outreach
  • Updates on outreach efforts will be provided at the April and October meetings.
• Voluntary Strategies - Doctor's Offices and Clinics
  • The Committee was updated as to the current progress of this project. There is some minimal funding to do work with physicians offices. The project is to reduce mercury in medical equipment and devices. An environmental firm has been contracted to identify offices, conduct informational mailings and surveys on awareness and changing out of equipment. The survey work will also provide and opportunity to disseminate information on mercury free alternative devices, case studies, pros and cons of equipment and establish a mailing list of facilities. There are an estimated 400-500 physician offices and clinics. This effort also has an additional component to offer offices information that they can provide to their patients regarding mercury in fish such as the brochures and mercury-in-fish posters.
  • The committee will be provided updates on this project in June and October.
• Committee Appointments
  • Renewal and/or committee assignments for Neil Kamman and Mary Canales will come up on August 15, 2004. The Committee will need to address this in May or June.
• Report to Legislature
  • Committee will begin draft in October.
• Card Room Display
  • Display has been scheduled for March 22, 2005
  • Display in 2004 was considered successful.
  • Suggestion that benefit from 2004 was due to concentration on one topic.
  • Suggestion that 2005 display focus on one topic area - this topic will be determined later in the year.

Additional items were recommended to be included in the work plan for 2004 as follows:

• Hospitals Voluntary Mercury Reduction
  • Review progress of current program in June.
  • Current project underway through grant to Vermont Hospitals and Healthcare Systems and contracted to CGH Environmental Strategies, Inc.
  • Hospitals voluntarily pledged by 2005-2006 to fully implement plan to reduce mercury product use in each hospital. Not all plans have been received but all hospitals are working on pledge.
  • Hospital association agreed to annual update to check the progress of the hospitals.
  • Voluntary program precludes any requirements for potential legislation.
• Voluntary Strategies to Reduce Mercury in Industry
  • Suggestion to ask Ruma Kohli to present information to the Committee in October regarding her knowledge of manufacturing uses of mercury products and potential risks for release.
  • IBM has made progress in identifying and changing out mercury devices in their operations. They look at identifying mercury sources and with mercury product manufacturers to look at what alternatives they have available and what can be substituted.
• Review and Discuss Research and Findings for Reduction of Mercury in Dentist Offices
  • Review research and findings of the Norwegian Federal Health Agency at April meeting.
  • Possibly have contact person attend May or June meeting by telephone.
• Crematories and Atmospheric Contributions
  • Suggestion to invite Jeff Merrill from DEC Air Quality Division to talk to the Committee regarding contributions to Vermont's environment from this source.

Agenda Item 3-
Updates and other topics not on agenda.

• Note to the Committee regarding scheduling for work plan. New England Zero Mercury Campaign is planning a forum for state health and environmental offices to have a regional discussion about harmonizing advisories and different approaches to developing advisories sometime in May. FDA is planning to announce new advisories and is hoping to include states in their efforts for this release so that states may coordinate similar press releases at the same time. Michael Bender will advise the Committee when a date is set for the meeting.
• Neil Kamman advised that he was contacted by the Attorney General's office in reference to their pre-file comments on the proposed EPA emissions regulation. He was asked for Vermont specific information and advised the Committee that the Ag's office was pleased to see the level of Vermont specific information that was available. Neil suggested that the Advisory Committee could be a potential contact for more information.
• Michael Bender advised the Committee that he had a short 15-20 minute PowerPoint presentation related to gold mining and human exposure to mercury that he would like to share with the Committee.
• Michael Bender advised the Committee that the price of mercury was currently doubling. Many are trying to figure out why. Many believe it is because of the demand for mercury for use in button cell batteries because there is no regulation for button batteries in novelty items. Michael advised that he was consulting NEMA to determine the best lab for testing the mercury levels. Chinese batteries are arriving into the US with higher levels of mercury. EU is developing a strategy for inspecting and enforcing on batteries from China. The other potential for mercury use could be chlor alkali plants. There are 50 plants in Europe and 10 in the United States.
• Agenda item added as an update on the current mercury bill - (S.111)
  • Bill passed out of Senate with a vote of 24/2 in favor of the bill.
  • Bill was well supported but adjustments were made to accommodate concerns of IBM and Energizer.
  • Any legislation for button cell battery requirements was removed from the bill.
  • Two votes against the bill were from Bennington County senators.
  • Bill has been transferred to house. It is not known if it has been assigned to a Committee.
  • Current administration has not taken a position on the bill.
  • Suggestion to see if IBM would partner in a letter supporting the bill.

Agenda Item 4-
Set date and agenda for next meeting.

The next meeting will be scheduled via e-mail and will be held at the Waterbury state complex in the EAD conference room. The agenda of the next meeting will be to review dental brochures and review the research and findings of the Norwegian Federal Health Agency. The committee will be updated on current outreach efforts for sensitive populations, progress on the dental amalgam separator pilot project and the lamp recycling outreach project.

MERCURY ADVISORY COMMITTEE - DRAFT 2004 WORK PLAN